More transparency needed on proposed Pacific trade agreement

Published 7:02 pm, Monday, February 3, 2014

I call on U.S. Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut's fourth district to come clean on his position on the effort by the administration to gain "fast-track" authority from Congress for the highly secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

He has refused to sign Congressman Rosa Delauro's letter to the president demanding more transparency on TPP in return for congressional go-ahead.

What has been leaked on TPP suggests that, like its predecessor NAFTA, it is essentially an assault on the rule of law at the state and federal levels for the purpose of facilitating profits for multinational corporations.

If it is passed without modification, attempts by citizens through their government, at local, state, or federal levels, to mitigate such phenomena as the exportation of jobs and the accelerated degradation of the environment, or to preserve food and drug safety and affordable health care and prescription prices, will be severely compromised.

Indeed, sovereign governments and their taxpayers would potentially face lawsuits from multinational companies if localized legislation could be presented to an international trade court as causing a loss of current, or even future, profits for said multinationals.

Himes needs to demand more information on TPP in order to both do his constitutional duty pertaining to treaties and to look out for his constituents.

Let him know your your concerns and request a clear position on the Baucus/Camp Fast Track Bill at 202-225-5541.

Additionally, I call on state legislators, and the state Democratic Party in particular, to address this development that could profoundly affect our state.